Marksman

Marksmen are a Russian version of Polish Zolnier, or Swedish Musketeers.

Tactics[]

Like any other marksmen unit, they work well in firing lines. Under the fire at will command, a good number of Marksmen (50 or more) will provide a constant musket fire, preventing enemies from getting close. Marksmen should be protected by regular S pearmen or New Order Spearmen against cavalry. When a battle begins, arrange them in rows quickly and deploy them in a good position in the map, wait for the enemy cavalry to get close before giving them the order to open fire. While waiting for the enemy to get close, arrange your cavalry in attacking formation so that they can relieve the Marksmen when they get overrun by enemy troops.

During a siege, Marksmen will excel in shooting down defenders. Marksmen should only be used to assualt when they expend all their bullets, as their pole-axes are quite good in melee. At the start of a siege, hold your other troops and let the Marksmen open fire in a safe distance in rows, while your armoured troops make it up the ladders as quickly as possible. Holding position for too long could get your troops decimated.

Stats and equipment[]

Note: Troops have a set of default stats; at the beginning of a new game, these stats are randomly adjusted for each type of troop. The following is the default set for this troop as seen within the game code and may not reflect the specific stats you will see during actual gameplay. For more information, see troop stats.

Marksman - Default Stats and Equipment

**Attributes**
Stat	Points
Level	6
Strength	9
Agility	6
Intelligence	0
Charisma	0
Health	50

**Armor**
Head
Marksman Cap
Body
Marksman Uniform
Hand
None
Foot
Old Boots

**Skills**
Skill	Points
Ironflesh	3
Power Strike	0
Grenade Throwing	0
Power Draw	0
Weapon Master	1
Shield	0
Athletics	3
Riding	1
Shooting from Horseback	0
Looting	0
Trainer	0
Tracking	0
Tactics	0
Path-finding	0
Spotting	0
Inventory Management	2
Wound Treatment	0
Surgery	0
First Aid	0
Engineer	0
Persuasion	0
Prisoner Management	1
Leadership	1
Trade	1

**Proficiencies**
Weapon Type	Points
One Handed Weapons	75
Two Handed Weapons	55
Polearms	65
Archery	0
Firearms	90
Throwing	0

**Weapons**
Melee
Pole-axe
Ranged
Simple Wheellock Musket, Bullets
Shield
None

Mount
None

Trivia[]

The Muscovite Tsardom's Marksman troops were called streltsy (стрельцы "shooters"). They used their poleaxes to steady their guns as they fired. They served not only as regular army units, but as guards for the Tsar and a police force as well.

Wikipedia has an article on this subject at:
Streltsy

Troops of the Muscovites
Village Recruits	Staff Militiaman
Garrison Militia	Lance Militiaman (veteran)	Posad Marksman (veteran)
Regular Infantry	Staff Militiaman Marksman (veteran) Marksman Spearman (veteran)
Guard Infantry	New Order Marksman (veteran) New Order Spearman (veteran)
Regular Cavalry	Armed Serf (veteran)
Heavy Cavalry	Moscow Reiter (veteran) Gentry Cavalryman (veteran)
Personal Guard Cavalry	Noble Guard (veteran)
Camp Mercenaries (southwest of Moscow)	Muscovite Mercenary Infantryman (recruit) • (experienced) • (veteran) • (elite) Muscovite Mercenary Rifleman (recruit) • (experienced) • (veteran) • (elite) Muscovite Mercenary Cavalryman (recruit) • (experienced) • (veteran) • (elite)
Regional Mercenaries (Cherkassk • Izum Fortress)	Village Cossack (veteran)
National Mercenaries	Kalmyk (veteran) German Infantry Pikeman (veteran) German Infantry Musketeer (veteran)
Unrecruitable	Tsar Bodyguard